ABSTRACT
The focus of this chapter is on the Swedish Humanist Association (SHA) and the negotiations its members engage in about the future of their humanist activism. Drawing on the analysis of the empirical material, two different ideal-typical understandings of secular humanism could be identified within the SHA. On one hand, proponents of the concept of “life stance humanism” define secular humanism primarily as a comprehensive life stance 1 and consider the SHA a life stance organization for secular humanists. They emphasize the importance of social practices like humanist ceremonies as well as social gatherings as an important part of a humanist community. On the other hand, advocates of “opinion-making humanism” primarily consider humanism an opinion-making force and the SHA an interest organization with a focus on secularism, human rights, and religious criticism. Representatives of both understandings are fighting passionately over the role of humanist ceremonies in their organizational activism, a debate which will serve as an illustrative example for internal disagreements that reach beyond the debate itself. The related (re-)orientation process of the organization can partly be explained by but also sheds light on significant changes in the religious field in Sweden at large.
